1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to a method and an apparatus that attaches to or is placed in front of existing or newly manufactured ball pitching machines to direct propelled balls and induce any desired ball spin that results in a ball curve during flight or erratic projections after a ball bounce.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For many years there have been ball pitching machines to simulate pitched or batted baseballs and softballs, and tennis ball serves or racket returns of tennis balls. These machines include balls propelled by springs, compressed gasses, elastic members, and rotating devices to impart centrifugal forces that propel balls. These machines are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,123,643; 4,632,088; 4,323,047; 3,989,027; 3,915,143; 3,850,157; 3,640,263; 3,288,127; 3,277,878; 2,182,369, and 1,201,626. Many of these machines also provide various friction methods to induce a spin on the propelled ball that results in a curve ball trajectory. U.S. Pat. No. 2,182,369 uses a spring loaded plunger or friction pad to contact and rub on the ball. In other patents there are similar abrasive and friction devices such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,265,583; 3,930,486; 3,915,143; 3,838,676; 3,640,263; 3,288,127; 3,018,769; 1,201,626, and 1,198,300. The propelled ball slides against rigid surfaces of brake shoes, sand paper, and other rough surfaces providing friction to induce ball spin.
One problem with all the friction methods of producing ball spin by contact on the ball surface relates to abrasion and destruction of the ball surfaces. The centrifugal or rotating wheel devices are especially wearing on balls. This friction and wear problem is exemplified in baseball sales catalogs that advertise baseballs having scuff resistant outer coatings for use in ball pitching machines.
Many of the balls spun by friction induced methods cannot perform similarly to the actual human thrown game balls as indicated by the variety of friction methods used for the past seventy-nine years. Simply applying friction to the outer circumference of a propelled ball many times fails to produce the amount and type of curve that an actual person thrown ball possesses.
The present invention solves these problems by providing straight or induced curve balls to be propelled in a similar manner as a human pitcher without abrasion of the ball. This apparatus also reflects the action of the induced ball spin and erratic ball bounces after tennis racket or ping pong paddle returns, batted ball contact, or kicked balls.